Page 31 of Resting Grump Face
She lets out a huff, rolls her eyes and ignores the pet name entirely. “I already know everything I need to know. I’m just trying to make you understand.” Sienna stuffs the phone back into her pocket. “Why did you become a lawyer? Didn’t youwant to channel your own righteousness so it wouldn’t be as misguided? Didn’t you dream of helping people? Back when you were still an optimistic, slightly naïve baby lawyer who hadn’t yet sold his soul?”
“It’s just what I had to do to take over the family business,” I lie. “My brother studied business. I studied the law. It was our father’s wish so that we could run the company together one day.”
This much is true, but I omit the fact that I did insist on being the one to study law and that I did specialize to be a public defender.
“And? How is that going?”
Right.She’s right.I shouldn’t be out here wasting time by having fun and getting to know her. There was a reason I lured her here in the first place. Well, two reasons:
1. Make her regret ever meeting me.
2. Use her as a prop to appease my board.
“Alright, Miss de la Vega,” I steer us towards a more trafficked street, “let’s talk business.”
“And here I was thinking you had already given up on the whole wine me, dine me… hire and sign me for your evil corporation thing.”
I hold in for a second. “Not how I thought that sentence would end, but, like I said, I always get what I want. This will be no different.”
Her head swivels around slowly, those eyes of hers piercing into my supposedly non-existent soul. “Why do you want me?”
The question hangs heavy in the air and I can’t help but think of when I first discovered her at the airport. She had watched me in that store and when I clocked her, she had hidden behind a shelf, except half her hair was still showing above it. Then shehad followed me into that bathroom where… I don’t even know what had happened there. Something had just come over us. It was like we didn’t have a choice. We just had to doit. It was inevitable.
I’ve had meaningless one-night-stands before, but they certainly didn’t feel like this. Not at all. This had been something else entirely.
Our eyes meet, and a spark of recognition passes between us. Or so I think.
“What does it take for you to come and work for me? I will grant you almost anything.”
And then I’ll make you pay for it over and over and over again.
Sienna huffs as if she isn’t taking me seriously. “Almost anything?”
“Anything, except for me, of course. I’m off-limits.”
“Hah!” she yelps out loud. “The cockiness! You’re lucky you’re so?—”
“Handsome? Adorable? Funny?”
Sienna laughs so loud the pigeons next to us get scared and fly off. The way her laughter echoes and her face scrunches makes her look like the most bewitching thing I’ve ever seen. Despite the cold wind, I feel hot. Even my cheeks are blushing a little. I put both my hands in the pockets of my pants to hide what else she is doing to me. It’s like common sense automatically goes out the window and my libido takes over as soon as I am near her.
“Funny,” she finally manages to say. “You’re funny, indeed. You should be one of those Sunday morning talk show hosts. I bet the 65+ crowd would find you quite entertaining.” She laughs some more. When she calms back down, she continues, “But really, I meant rich. You’re lucky you’re rich. This way, at least you can buy people’s sympathies.” She takes another lookat her phone, then shoves it back into her bag before grumbling with annoyance. Sienna stops dead in her tracks. “I won’t come and work for you,” she shudders as if overwhelmed with disgust, “but I will consider allowing you to be my client. It’ll cost you, though.”
Before I can answer, she turns around and briskly walks off.
“You can’t just leave,” I shout after her. “It’s not safe at night for someone as frail as you.”
Another huff escapes her button nose, the warm air steaming in the chilly night. “It’s fine. I’m probably safer with the local axe murderer than I am with you. You’ll hear from me… babe.”
12
SIENNA
Babe…
Why?
Why would I even say that?
